Film Independent’s 37th annual fast, free and raunchy Spirit Awards returned live this previous Sunday and it was just in time to celebrate big penises and The Lost Daughter. The film, from first time director Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Dark Knight, Secretary) won awards for Best Feature, Best Screenplay and Best Director.
While she has been nominated twice as an actor, this marked her first noms and wins as a screenwriter and director.
Besides The Lost Daughter, other big Spirit winners included Passing, which won Best Supporting Female and Best Cinematography; Zola, which won Best Female Lead and Best Editing; 7 Days, which won Best First Feature; Pig, which won Best First Screenplay; Red Rocket, which won Best Male Lead; CODA, which won Best Supporting Male; Drive My Car, which won Best International Film; Summer of Soul, which won Best Documentary; and Shiva Baby, which received the John Cassavetes Award.
For the second time in its history, this year’s Spirit Awards also honored exceptional content in television. This year’s major winners in the TV categories were Reservation Dogs, which won Best New Scripted Series and Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series; Black and Missing, which won Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series; The Underground Railroad, which won Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series; and Squid Game, which won Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series.
The 14th annual Robert Altman Award, which was created in 2008 in honor of legendary film director Robert Altman, who was known for creating extraordinary ensemble casts, was awarded to Mass director Fran Kranz, alongside casting directors Henry Russell Bergstein and Allison Estrin as well as ensemble cast Kagen Albright, Reed Birney, Michelle N. Carter, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton and Breeda Wool.
Previously announced Spirit winners of the Emerging Filmmaker Awards Grants are Alex Camilleri (Luzzu), who received the Someone to Watch Award; Lizzie Shapiro, who received the Producers Award; and Jessica Beshir (Faya Dayi), who received the Truer Than Fiction Award.
While it was freezing near the beach, it does take place in Santa Monica, what kept things hot was the hosting of Spirit Awards co-hosts Megan Mullally and Joliet, Illinois’ Nick Offerman. Their almost 15-minute opening ranged from Simon Rex’s “Big Penis” in Red Rocket to having sex with fortune tellers.
Also, during their opening monologue, the “Power Couple” addressed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine , telling President Vladimir Putin to “f**k off and go home.”
After Offerman told the audience that they’d like to send best wishes “to those affected by the war in Ukraine and all unjust conflicts around the world, Mullally added her opinion.
“I think we speak for everyone here when we say we are hoping for a quick and peaceful resolution. Specifically, f**k off and go home Putin,” Mullally said, to cheers and applause from the audience.
Watch below:
Below are the full list of winners and their acceptance speeches. And the Spirit Award goes to…
BEST FEATURE
(Award given to the producer)
THE LOST DAUGHTER
Producers: Charles Dorfman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Osnat Handelsman Keren, Talia Kleinhendler
BEST FIRST FEATURE
(Award given to director and producer)
7 DAYS
Director: Roshan Sethi
Producers: Liz Cardenas, Mel Eslyn
BEST DIRECTOR
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter
BEST SCREENPLAY
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Michael Sarnoski, Vanessa Block, Pig
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
(Given to the best feature made for under $500,000; Award given to the writer, director and producer)
SHIVA BABY
Writer/Director/Producer: Emma Seligman
Producers: Kieran Altmann, Katie Schiller, Lizzie Shapiro
BEST MALE LEAD
Simon Rex, Red Rocket
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Taylour Paige, Zola
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Troy Kotsur, CODA
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Ruth Negga, Passing
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Edu Grau, Passing
BEST EDITING
Joi McMillon, Zola
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
(Award given to the director)
DRIVE MY CAR (Japan)
Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
BEST DOCUMENTARY
(Award given to the director and producer)
SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)
Director: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Producers: David Dinerstein, Robert Fyvolent, Joseph Patel
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
(Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)
MASS
Director: Fran Kranz
Casting Directors: Henry Russell Bergstein, Allison Estrin
Ensemble Cast: Kagen Albright, Reed Birney, Michelle N. Carter, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Breeda Wool
REELated: The complete list of winners for the SAG Awards
PRODUCERS AWARD
(The Producers Award honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality independent films)
Lizzie Shapiro
SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
(The Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition)
ALEX CAMILLERI
Director of Luzzu
TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
(The 27th Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition)
JESSICA BESHIR
Director of Faya Dayi
BEST NEW NON-SCRIPTED OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES
(Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer)
BLACK AND MISSING
Series By/Executive Producers: Soledad O’Brien, Geeta Gandbhir
Executive Producers: Jo Honig, Patrick Conway, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sara Rodriguez
BEST NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
(Award given to the Creator, Executive Producer, Co-Executive Producer)
RESERVATION DOGS
Creators/Executive Producers: Sterlin Harjo, Taika Waititi
Executive Producer: Garrett Basch
BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE IN A SCRIPTED SERIES
Thuso Mbedu, The Underground Railroad
BEST MALE PERFORMANCE IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A NEW SCRIPTED SERIES
RESERVATION DOGS
Ensemble Cast: Devery Jacobs, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Lane Factor, Paulina Alexis, Sarah Podemski, Zahn McClarnon, Lil Mike, FunnyBone
